Goofing Around

Our language arts committee met again yesterday, and the mood was somber. Results from the MCA-IIs (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments) were in Sunday's paper, and our district did not fare well. Adam ran into one guy at the Rec today who said he didn't sleep last night, the renewed pressure is so overwhelming. We're an AYP school, which means we don't make "adequate yearly progress" (attendance figures in here as well as test scores). There are steps taken each year a school is AYP (this language arts work is something the state is having us do), and the step that could take place after this coming year is "re-construction" or something like that, code for "We're going to fire most of the teachers and start over [because there's nothing else that could possibly be wrong]". I feel the pressure especially because I still don't feel I really know what I'm doing--- I walked in as a fresh teacher and was met with absolutely no structure: no curriculum, old programs being tossed away and a TON of new ones introduced--My head is still filled with all I have yet to implement and even more changes for this coming year. BUT, I am finding out that this is part of being a teacher so I really shouldn't complain, especially when I consider how well I am getting paid.

Ok. I will stop.

So, in light of the heaviness of School Stuff, Adam and I - and Monty -have done more goofing around today than work on our house. It's been great.

The thing that was fun about taking Monty's bone was that he's been so into it, he even took it outside with him last night at midnight. He didn't set it down once. He PEED with it in his mouth :(, then came back to the door to be let in, still in full control of Bone (see below).

He's made me laugh I don't know how many times in the last few days, and I love him for that.